Sri Lanka expects to resume fishery exports to EU in July

Apr 22, 2016 14:27 PM GMT+0530 | 1 Comment(s)

ECOMYNEXT - Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has a welcomed a decision by the European Commission to recommend the lifting of a fishery trading ban and expects exports to the European Union to resume in July 2016.

"The lifting of the red card will allow Sri Lanka to resume fish exports to the EU’s 28 member countries," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"EU markets accounted for 68 percent of Sri Lanka’s fish exports, amounting to 108 million dollars and livelihood for thousands of fishermen and their families."

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had written to EU High Representative on Foreign Affairs, Fredrica Moghernini on January 13, 2015 within days of being elected, requesting that Sri Lanka and European Union to work together to resolve the crisis.

Minister Samaraweera had also visited Brussels in January initiating negotiations on lifting the ban.

Given the importance of lifting the ban, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s second visit overseas after assuming duties as Foreign Minister was to Brussels at the end of January.

"Over the last year and a quarter, the Minister of Fisheries and the relevant government departments have been working hard to ensure compliance with Sri Lanka’s international fishing obligations and secure a successful outcome in negotiations with the EU," the Foreign Ministry said.

The European Commission said Sri Lanka had taken action to combat illegal fishing and it was recommending the lifting of the ban and European Union Fisheries Council will take up the issue at the "next available opportunity."

Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry is expecting the ban to be lifted in July.

1 Comments

Our fisheries should be taken to the next level and on a scientific and technical advancement. Now that we have won back the right to export to the EU, we must further ensure that all related parties follow a set of disciplines that would encourage the greater production not only in the the oceans around , but also adopt fish farming on a large scale, by organising interested fishermen as partners in a co-operative with guidance. Most of our fisheries grounds have been depleted and life made extinct by both over exploitation and destructive exploitation.